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TELEGRAPHY 

FOR 

BEGINNERS 


THE 

STANDARD METHOD 

An Authoritative Book of Instruction in the Methods 
and Forms Most Approved, with Lessons; 
Including the Morse and Continental Codes 

BY 

WILLIS H. JONES 

ii 

Wire Chief Western Union Tee. Co. New York. 


NEW YORK 

SPON & CHAMBERLAIN, 123 liberty street 

LONDON 

E. & F. N. Spon, Limited, 57 Haymarket, S.W. 

1910 


(No. 29) 



Copyright 1910 
By Spon & Chamberlain 
New York 



©CL A271087 





PREFACE 


The object of this book is to furnish the stud¬ 
ent with practical information which may be con¬ 
sidered authoritative for the reason that its con¬ 
tents represent the latest ideas, methods, codes 
and rulings most generally approved and ac¬ 
cepted, and which are in actual practical use to¬ 
day. 

Until quite recently there has never been any 
official, or uniform system of instructions given 
to those who have learned telegraphy. The re¬ 
sult of the old “ go as you please ” method is 
that often a very marked difference of opinion 
exists between two operators working together, 
who were instructed by different teachers as to 
which of two or more codes or other marks now 
indiscriminately used is correct. Or at least 
considerable doubt is entertained as to which is 
the latest or most approved generally by up to 
date operators. 

Phillips’ code, a copy of which every aspiring 
operator should possess, has added many punctu¬ 
ation and other marks to The original Morse 
alphabet, of which addition old timers in many 
branch offices and village stations where young 
operators are educated are unaware. 


IV 


PREFACE 


To avoid confusion and misunderstandings 
arising from the use of antiquated codes and 
methods the author advises the beginner to 
faithfully follow the instructions herein given 
until possible later rulings obtain. 

WILLIS H. JONES. 


New York, July, 1910. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Introductory Remarks and Practical 

Advice .. i 

II. The Morse Alphabet and Other Char¬ 
acters .8 

III. Signals and Abbreviations .... 27 

IV. Sporting Events and Market Reports 

in Tabulated Form.30 

V. The Student’s Outfit and Practice 

Circuit.. . . 37 

. 48 


VI. How to Adjust a Sounder . 






LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIG. PAGE 

1. The Cattlin grip.n 

2. Telegraph blank. Receiving form . . 21 

3. Telegraph blank. Delivery form . . 22 

4. Simple metallic circuit; key and sounder 

on one base.38 

5. Simple metallic circuit, separate instru¬ 

ments .38 

6. Grounded circuit between two stations, 

key and sounder on one base, with three 
point switch.40 

7. Grounded circuit between two stations, 

key and sounder separate, with three 
point switch.40 

8. A Dry battery.42 

9. A Gravity battery.43 

10. Four dry cells connected up .... 44 


11. Bracket and insulator for line wire 44, 45 


12. Method of making ground to water pipe 46 

13. Standard pattern sounder.49 

14. Standard pattern key.51 

15. Standard pattern sounder and key on 

one base.52 

16. Theoretical connections of main line re¬ 

lay and sounder.53 

17. Actual connections of main line relay and 

sounder.54 

18. Main line box relay.55 

19. Single line relay and sounder ... 56 

Morse Code.9 

Continental Code.58 















CHAPTER I 


Introductory Remarks and Practical Advice 

Every student should begin his studies with a 
full realization of the truthfulness of the old say¬ 
ing, “ As the twig is bent, so the tree will grow,” 
and keep the implied meaning constantly in 
mind. 

The usual excuse given to cover one’s inability 
to learn to send readily is that he does not 
possess the proper physical qualifications. 

A large clumsy looking hand is no evidence of 
the owner’s inability to control it: Nor does 
the small thin hand of a woman indicate lack of 
energy, so far as the art of telegraphing requires, 
or of endurance for continuous work. Both 
types of such hands may be found among our 
very best senders, while many operators pos¬ 
sessing ideal hands, from a physical standpoint,, 
never send good Morse. 

The True Art of learning to telegraph consists 
in educating the brain to memorize and retain 
proper impressions of the true cadence of good 
Morse. The will, which controls our muscles, 
then causes the hand to create the characters in 
a degree of perfection measured by the manner 


2 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


in which the brain is impressed. In other words 
the character of the Morse is due to a “ state of 
the mind,” and not to the type of hand itself. 
This rule applies to both sending and receiving, 
as the student will readily realize as he studies 
the lessons in the subsequent chapters. 

A Good Speller. One of the side accomplish¬ 
ments necessary to acquire in order to become 
a first class operator is that of becoming a good 
speller. No one should even hope to become 
very proficient who must stop or hesitate when 
writing unfamiliar words. 

The Typewriter. In addition to this he should 
learn how to use a typewriter and learn the 
Phillips , code in order to be able to copy the 
rapid and abbreviated press and other matter 
usually sent over leased wire circuits. 

Finally If He Hopes to Rise above the position 
of that of a mere operator at the desk he must 
acquire a thorough electrical knowledge of the 
apparatus he sees around and about him and 
learn the principles involved in their construc¬ 
tion and operation. 

Order of Study Outlined 

In arranging the practice lessons in this book 
the author has purposely deviated somewhat 
from the usual method of teaching the letters in 


INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 


3 


regular alphabetical order and has substituted 
therefore groups of certain letters, prefixes, and 
suffixes which bear a close relationship with one 
another. 

For example, instead of beginning with the 
letter a and continuing through to z, it seems 
more practical to first practice making a letter 
which has the same common marks that would 
represent two other letters if carelessly separated 
by a space. 

Thus letter n, for instance, consists of a dash 
and a dot. So does the combination of letters 
te, so far as the characters are concerned. But 
te includes a space, and n does not. It is this 
distinction between the two almost identical 
combinations, both in appearance and sound that 
we wish to call the students’ attention to, and by 
timely comparison enable him to appreciate the 
necessity of making each Morse combination 
properly. Thus d improperly made tends to be- 
come t i, b becomes t s; the figure 8 becomes 
t h; &c, &c.. The other letters may be learned 
separately, observing the same precaution where 
similar confusion is possible. 

Combinations of Letters. We also suggest 
that instead of practicing words picked up at 
random it is better, after learning a few of the 
most commonly used words of one syllable, to 
learn the sound of the various prefixes, suffixes, 
^nd frequent occurring combinations of letters. 


4 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


which form part of many of the longer words, 
such for example, as pre, dis, ing, tion, ough, &c. 

The Object of Such Practice of course is to 
enable the student to become as familiar with 
the full swing of such terms, taken as a whole, 
as he is with that of the cadence of any single 
letter. 


Art of Good Receiving. It should be under¬ 
stood in the beginning that finally the art of good 
receiving consists principally in possessing a 
fairly accurate knowledge of just what an entire 
word sounds like, taken as one combination. 

In other words one should be able to under¬ 
stand a word spoken in the telegraph language 
by means of the Morse characters as readily as 
he does the same word uttered by mouth in the 
language of any national tongue with which 
he may be familiar. 

One of the most important things a beginner 
should understand is that he should avoid the 
natural tendency to strive for speed in sending 
until he has learned to make all the characters 
correctly and without hesitancy. Speed will 
come naturally as he progresses. 

The same advice applies to the manner in 
which received matter is copied. The natural 
tendency of beginners is to copy each letter the 
instant the sender makes it. It is much better. 


INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 5 

after one has learned to receive fairly well to 
keep a few letters behind. 

The Art of Good Receiving obviously depends 
more upon the memory or state of mind than 
upon anything else. 

The usual excuse a poor receiver gives is that 
he cannot keep up with the speed of the sender, 
yet it is a noticeable fact that in a great many 
cases such operators are really very rapid pen¬ 
men. In fact, some of them after hearing the 
first two or three letters in a familiar long word 
can and actually do write out the complete word 
before the sender has finished transmitting it. 
At the same time if the sender starts the next 
word before the receiver has finished writing the 
previous word the latter becomes hopelessly con¬ 
fused. In other words he is really able to “ copy 
ahead ” but not behind. 

This fact suggests that the mind is lacking in 
single purposeness. In its dual capacity of ac¬ 
tion between the emotions of fear of breaking 
and the reception of incoming signals attention 
becomes divided. 

It is evident, therefore, that the factor of self- 
consciousness must be eliminated from the case 
before one may even hope to become proficient. 
The way to do this is to cut in on some press or 
other busy circuit if available, or get some good 
sender to send to you, and practice copying a 
few words behind the sender. 


6 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


At first this will seem somewhat difficult to do 
but with the fear of breaking eliminated one soon 
acquires the faculty of memorizing whole sen¬ 
tences and even groups of figures without any 
difficulty. The advantage derived from being 
able to copy a few words behind is that the re¬ 
ceiver is not only able to correct mistakes with¬ 
out breaking, but he gains every second of time 
the sender loses when he stumbles, hesitates, or 
stops for any cause whatever, and in this manner 
is often able to catch up where otherwise he 
would sooner or later have been compelled to 
break. This faculty can readily be cultivated, 
but unfortunately is one of the essential factors 
in the education of an operator that is too fre¬ 
quently overlooked. It is a side study by itself 
and demands separate attention. But the 
knowledge is well worth acquiring. 

Important Rules to Observe 

1— Do Not Hurry. Consider perfection in the 

formation of the characters of first import¬ 
ance. 

2— Learn the Numerals at the same time as the 

letters—not separately or afterwards. 

3— In Sending cultivate the “ wrist movement ” 

method. 

4— In Receiving, after you can do so at a fair 

rate of speed, cultivate a retentive memory 
by copying one or two words behind the 
sender. 


INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 7 

5— Memorize the Full Cadence of the principal 

prefixes, suffixes and ordinary words. 

6— Learn the Tabulated Forms of market quo¬ 

tations and the principal sporting events. 

7— Observe Strictly the Rules in vogue wherever 

employed. 


CHAPTER II 

The Morse Alphabet and Other Characters 

The different combinations of dots, dashes, 
and spaces required to form the Morse alphabet, 
figures, punctuation marks, and other characters 
are shown on page 9. 

The Relative Dimensions of the Dot and Dash, 

as they appear to the eye when registered in ink 
or chemical stain on a running tape, correspond 
accurately with the length of time the key is 
closed in making them. 

A Dot. It is evident that in order to make 
a dot the lever of the key must be released al¬ 
most the instant it is depressed. In other words, 
merely one tap of the key is required. 

A Dash, on the other hand, is made by holding 
the lever down a fraction of a second before re¬ 
leasing it. 

All dashes, except the one which represents 
the letter 1 should be made of uniform length 
whether they form part of a letter, or the letter 
t itself. The . letter 1 alone requires a slight 
8 


MORSE CODE 

A_ 

B_ 

C .. . 

D- 

E . 

F_ 

N _ . 

0 . . 

P. 

Q- 

R . .. 

S ... 

H .T. ~ * 

1 .. 

u rr_ 

V _ 

w_ 

X_ 

Y .. .. 

Z ... . 

1 • i __ 

. Period .. — _ • • 

2 _ ’ 

: Colon K 0 

3_ 

; Semi-colon $ 1 

4 .... 

, Comma* — * — 

5 __ _ ? Interrogation— • • — • 

6 . 1 Exclamation 

7 

8_ 

£ Pound P X 

9 _ 

s. Shilling U T 

0 

d. Pence D 

& . . . . 

- Hyphen H X 

’ Apostrophe is also Q X 

Decimal_• 

Fraction Line.• 

( ) Parenthesis £ 

P N before enclosure 

P Y after enclosure 

“ ” Quotation f 

Q N before the words 

Q J after the words 

hi i 11 a i i • . iL . . , ■ fQ X before the words 

“ ‘ Quotation within a quotation | , 

|^Q Y after the words 













10 TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 

lengthening in order to distinguish it from the 
letter t. 

A Space represents the pause made between 
two consecutive depressions of the key. On 
paper, therefore, the space is represented by the 
break in the line seen between two consecutive 
marks, while to the ear it would be the sound 
caused by the up or back stroke of the lever at 
the moment the key opens. A dash or dot, 
therefore follows a depressed key and a space 
its release. 

In order to get a correct idea of the relative 
length of a dot to that of a dash the student 
should, if possible, get a good sender to first 
make each letter for him several times before at¬ 
tempting to do so himself. By listening atten¬ 
tively he will readily obtain a fair idea of their 
normal measure and cadence and thus insure 
rapid progress. 


Lesson i 

Place the first and second fingers of the right, 
hand gently on the top of the rubber knob of 
the key and let the forearm rest naturally on the 
table (Fig. i) as it would were you writing with 
a pen or pencil. This is known as the “ Catlin 
Grip.” 

Some operators prefer to steady their hold on 
the key by using the thumb as a clutch, but it 
is not necessary to do so if the proper habit of 


MORSE ALPHABET AND OTHER CHARACTERS II 

sending by the “ wrist movement ” method is 
early acquired. In case you find it too difficult 
to avoid using the thumb you may compromise 
by allowing it to rest lightly on the edge of the 
knob as a means of steadying the hand only. 
Above all things avoid gripping the knob too 



Fig. i. 

strongly as by so doing you will stiffen the 
muscles and thus prevent the possibility of a 
nimble movement. 

With the wrist method there is very little mo¬ 
tion lost or energy expended uselessly. 

Firm Sending does not consist of strong pres¬ 
sure being exerted on the key, nor is light send¬ 
ing due to insufficient pressure, but to duration 
and evenness of contact alone. 




12 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


The First Lesson, therefore should be to ac¬ 
quire the wrist movement habit by practicing, 
making a number of dots without removing the 
arm from the desk or allowing the fingers to 
slip off the key. 

At first you should begin by making a long 
string of dots irrespective of the number until 
you get a fair control of the key. After that 
you may make the dots groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 
6 respectively, which represent the letters 
i, s, h, p, and figure 6. Practice these letters 
persistently until you can make the exact num¬ 
ber of dots each letter requires a dozen times in 
succession without adding or dropping a single 
dot from any combination. 

In order to avoid making imperfect dots you 
should also practice making dashes. While the 
latter of course are easily made a familiarity with 
their distinctive sound in the way of the notice¬ 
able “ backstroke,” accompanying each dash will 
at once call your attention to any dots you 
should happen to over prolong and thus enable 
you to check the error. 


Lesson II 


E . 

I .. 
S .. 


H .... 
P .... 
6 .... 


These combinations show all the letters of the 
alphabet that consist of one. or more consecutive 




MORSE ALPHABET AND OTHER CHARACTERS 13 

dots. That is to say all the letters which in¬ 
clude no spaces or dashes. The figure 6 is the 
only figure similarly constructed. 

Practice making these characters carefully as 
suggested in Lesson I, until you become thor¬ 
oughly familiar with each and can readily regu¬ 
late the dots to the required number. 


Lesson III 

N — B- 

D — • • 8 — • • • • 

These combinations show all of the letters, in¬ 
cluding the only figure, which began with one 
dash and are finished by adding one or more 
dots without including spaces. 

In making these characters the dot or dots 
must follow the dash so quickly that there will 
seem to be no appreciable pause whatever be¬ 
tween any of the marks. 

A Pause between the dash and the dot which 
represents n for instance, long enough for you to 
hear the “ back stroke,” would mean a “ space,” 
consequently you would make te instead of n. 

In like manner such a pause would turn D into 
ti; B into ts; and 8 into th. 

After you have learned to make N D B and 8 
properly it would be well to practice te, ti, ts, and 


14 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


th separately and by comparing their respective 
sounds with that of the cadences of the letters 
in this lesson, which they resemble, you will 
readily see how very similar to one another they 
are and thus appreciate the necessity of making 
each properly, in order to not confuse the re¬ 
ceiving operator. 


Lesson IV 


E . 
C . 
R . 


O 

Y 

Z 


These combinations show all of the space let¬ 
ters which consist of dots only. 

The Space is made by merely pausing a frac¬ 
tion of a second between certain dots. Thus in 
the letter C it comes after the second dot and is 
followed by one dot. You will see where the 
pauses for the other letters come in by examin¬ 
ing the other combinations. 

Practice these persistently, beginning with the 
letters Y and O, after which follow with C, R, 
and Z. 

By comparing O with i, with which latter you 
are now supposed to be familiar, and Y with h, 
you will at once notice what a difference in the 
sound the pause or space makes. 

The thing to remember is that if you omit the 


morse alphabet and other characters 

pause you will make an entirely different letter 
from what you intend. 

Thus three dots without the pause would make 
letter S instead of the C or R you attempted. In 
like manner O would become i; while Y and Z 
would be turned into h. 

Spaced Letters are considered by many as be¬ 
ing the most difficult to make, hence unusual 
care should be taken when practicing them. 


Lesson V 

Numerals, Decimals and Fractions. 


I- 

6 •• 


Fraction . 

2 --- • 

7 — 

— 

Decimal, “ dot ” 

3 - 

8 — 

. 

Cipher for first 

4- 

9 — 

• .- 

place in a group 

5 - 

0 — 


of figures Tw. 

1456 

6234! 

0040 

4 4 

7210 

76.51! 

OOOI 

s % 

9383 

4976! 

.0020 

s Vio 

6899 

13-154 

.1027 

1 % 

134,678,901 

34 , 678,901 

4,678,901 


In practicing the figures given in this lesson 
be sure that the slight pause made between each 
figure in a group is practically of the same length, 
otherwise the receiver would be unable to know 




16 TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 

whether there were two groups or only one. In 
other words a group should be transmitted as 
one word, in the same way that all the letters 
which spell a word are sent. 

The exception to this rule when applied to a 
group consisting of five or more numerals not 
punctuated by commas is that a slight pause 
may be made just before the first figure in the 
“ hundred ” column, the “ thousand ” column, the 
“ million ” column, and so on for each group of 
three figures in the row counting from the right. 

Thus in the last example given the first pause 
would be made just before figure 6 was made and 
the next before figure 9. Or the entire group 
may be made without any pause by making a 
comma at the points given. Both methods are 
permissible where the insertion of a comma 
would not alter the number of words required 
to be paid for as indicated by the message check. 

In cable messages all punctuation marks, as 
a rule, are counted in the check and must be 
paid for. Hence the necessity of the pause 
method. 

In sending fractions the dot (.) is made be¬ 
tween the numerator and the denominator just 
the same as though you were sending the letter 
e, and the three characters grouped together as 
one word. 

As the decimal mark is also a dot, so far as 
it appears to the eye on paper, the word “ dot ” is 
transmitted for that character in order that the 


MORSE ALPHABET AND OTHER CHARACTERS 17 

receiver may be able to understand its signifi¬ 
cance and not mistake it for a period. 

In like manner the cipher has two different 
characters. The long dash is the mark always 
used except where a group of figures begins with 
a cipher. To prevent confusion in the mind of 
the receiving operator as to whether the sender 
meant the letter 1 or a cipher, the code Tw is 
used for the first cipher and a dash for those 
that may follow. 

Thus in the group 0001, it should be trans¬ 
mitted Tw, 1 , 1 , i. Some operators, especially 
those using the Continental code, make tw for 
each cipher, but as the dash is the shortest, the 
first method should be considered standard in 
this country. In fact, it is already preferred and 
used by the majority of up to date operators. 

Practice the Examples given in this lesson and 
observe the suggestions made very closely. 

Lesson VI 

ing tion ough ment itch 

Thing Nation Ought Comment Stitch 

Singing Motion Thought Moment Ditch 

Ringing Action Brought Cement Hitch 

Bringing Friction Thought Raiment Pitch 

Coming Caution Wrought Pigment Witch 

The purpose of this lesson is to so familiarize 
the student with the complete sound of certain 


l8 TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 

frequently occurring combinations of letters that 
each such group will be recognized as a whole as 
readily as any letter in the alphabet made singly 
is recognized. 

The combination of letters shown in Lesson 
VI form endings or parts of so many commonly 
used words that an early familiarity with their 
transmission and cadence is half the battle in 
sending and receiving long words. 

Afterwards the student should endeavor to 
memorize the cadence of each full word sent or 
received in its complement; that is to say, recog¬ 
nize the combinations of sounds as a whole, as 
he does a single letter, or one of the groups given 
in this lesson which he may have memorized. 

The student should begin practicing with one 
of the endings given and repeat it over and over 
until he gets a good idea of how it sounds as a 
whole, then he should proceed with the words 
following which contain the same group of let¬ 
ters. 

He should follow up this method with the 
other endings given in this lesson. 

In like manner the student may practice any 
other prefix or suffix he may happen to think of. 

Lesson VII 

The Morse code shown on page 9 contains 
all the punctuation marks and other code re¬ 
quired to properly transmit the following prac¬ 
tice lesson. Be sure and transmit every punctu- 


MORSE ALPHABET AND OTHER CHARACTERS IC) 

ation mark, capital, quotation, and other mark 
you see printed: 


Examples 

The New York Journal of Commerce is a 
paper devoted principally to the publication of 
market prices of all kinds of commodities. In 
one of its issues (one day last week), a certain 
stock was quoted at .15, or fifteen cents; another 
was $15 (fifteen dollars) ; while another sold as 
low as .01. The stocks have advanced in value 
probably noff over 10% (ten per cent.), and rose 
by buyers bidding it up in steps of -J, %6» 
or some other fractional offer. 


An English stock sold at 1/4 (one shilling and 
four’pence), but there were few bidders. Did 
you ever see an English one pound note? 


On seeking information from a broker as to 
the cause of the dull market, he said, “ Oh! its 
hard to explain. When I asked my boss about 
it he said, ‘ Don’t bother me.’ So you see I’m 
as much in the dark as you are.” 


Some roses bloom semi-annually, others- 
but why should I bother about the others? 





20 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


Lesson VIII 

Figures 2 and 3 respectively, represent the 
same message. 

Fig. 2 is the original copy filed by the sender 
at the counter in the telegraph office at St. Louis. 

Fig. 3 is a duplicate of the original as received 
by the operator at Louisville. 

It will be seen that with the exception of the 
receiving clerk’s number, “ 39,” and the time 
filed, “ 115 P,” every inscription that is seen on 
the original blank may be found on the Louis¬ 
ville copy. 

The inscription on the original blank under the 
word “ possible ” denotes that the wire number 
of the message to Louisville (every message 
must bear a number), was 126. The letter “ L ” 
represents the office call for Louisville and 
should always follow the number. The “ C-140 
P-J,” indicates that an operator whose private 
signal is “ C,” sent the message at 140 Pm and 
that it was received by an operator in Louisville 
who signs “J.” Every operator has a private 
signal which he must make when sending or re¬ 
ceiving, in order to be able to know who handles 
the various messages. 

When sending a message the operator after in¬ 
scribing the number of the message and the call 
of the station he is working with, on the blank 
from which he is sending, should then follow 




.xiB 


READ THE NOTICE -kND AGREEMENT ON BACK. FIG. 





























































5 

Li 

X 

g 


I52I 


.0 * -s 


c _ 


a 


2 

< 

z 


a ; 

oj Li 

H g 

CO s 

LI ? 


10 

<Vi 


C . ai 
O -* ~ ?• «» 

i J sf i 
is||2 

c I; 

o> a S 2 
8 «o § > 

E^E| 
a^-23 
i . « o 9 

^ 1/1 5j fj 

•J ^ V) L. . 
U « CUJ 

Q^ ? :o 
« O 1 » S 
03 1 2 s 2 

t_ 1 v ^ 

5 ^ °°< 

a S u o ai 

H 3 a> 5 nj 




ui 


ALWAYS OPEN MONEY TRANSFERRED BY TELEGRAPH CABLE OFFIC 

FIG. 3 

































































MORSE ALPHABET AND OTHER CHARACTERS 23 

first with his own private signal, then the time, 
and last the receiving operator’s sign. Fig. 2. 

The receiving operator, on the contrary, places 
his letter on the blank last, see Fig. 3. 

These endorsements on the original mess?ge 
should be made with the left hand simultaneously 
with the sending of the same with the right 
hand. This necessary feat can be readily ac¬ 
quired with very little practice. The markings 
should always be made with a lead pencil and on 
some blank portion of the paper, so as to not 
disfigure the text of the message. 

The receiving operator should write the name 
of the person or firm addressed, the street ad¬ 
dress, and the destination of the message on three 
separate lines in the order shown in Fig. 3. In 
copying the text of the message you should write 
but five words on each line in order to be able 
to quickly count the number of words you have 
received, and thus detect any discrepancy be¬ 
tween your count and the number of words the 
check calls for. In case one blank is too small 
for a long message, use two or more, and after 
filling in the number and address on each blank, 
fasten them together securely. 

Collect. Where the check reads “ Collect,” 
the actual number of words in the body of that 
message is always one less than the figure or 
figures in the check indicate. This rtile was 


24 TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 

made in order that the receiving operator may 
detect an error on part of the sending operator 
should the latter carelessly send “ collect ” for 
“ paid,” or vice versa. The check would be 
wrong in both cases and thus cause a challenge 
by the receiver.* 

The contraction ahr or hr, signifying “ Here 
is another,” should not be transmitted between 
two consecutive message, except when sending 
to an inexperienced operator, because it is a 
waste of both time and energy. 

If the sender begins another message the re¬ 
ceiver should simpy continue to copy until the 
former stops with the letters n m, signifying 
“ No more.” 

In actual practice it is customary, after a sta¬ 
tion answers his call by making the letter “ i ” 
twice, followed by his office call, to merely say 
“ ahr ” or “ hr ” (preferably the latter) as a sort 
of notice that he is about to start. 

It is not necessary to use the contraction 
again. 

On trunk line circuits over which different 
classes of matter are transmitted, the sender 
should designate the particular class of matter 
he begins with, for the reason that each such 
class must be copied on a particular blank form 

* Note. In commercial telegraphy the latest ruling is 
that the word “ paid ” and the transmitting operators 
signal letter shall not be transmitted, 


MORSE ALPHABET AND OTHER CHARACTERS 25 

or otherwise specialized. Thus, “ Hrs a cable; 
a spl of 200 wds; “ blks ”; “ nites,” or give 
whatever other information is necessary. 

This process need not be repeated until a dif¬ 
ferent class of matter is to be sent, when the 
sending operator should designate it in the same 
manner indicated, in order that the receiving 
operator may shift to the proper form of blanks. 

The word “ nite ” and letters NL for “ Nite 
letter ” should invariably be transmitted in the 
check of each message of that class. This term 
supercedes the old order of saying “ red,” and 
“ hlf rate.” The change was made because it 
fits the facts better. A day message may be 
allowed at half rate under special contract, and 
yet demand all the requirements of regular day 
service. 

Break. When you have occasion to break, 
open the key and make the letters “ bk ” and then 
say “ Ga ”—repeating the last word you have 
written down. 

In case the sender does not get what you say 
he will make the figure 4, which signifies 
“ Where shall I go ahead? ” 

After you have received a message and verified 
the check, open the key and say “ OK,” and then 
make your private signal letter. 

Each message should be accurately timed at 
the moment you receive it, and the same placed 


26 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


conspicuously in some vacant place on the blank, 
usually just under the signature, although where 
the rules of the office do‘ not conflict, it may be 
placed in the upper right hand corner. 

Practice sending and receiving the specimen 
message given until thoroughly familiar with the 
order, after which you may write out a number 
of similar messages of your own and practice on 
them. 


CHAPTER III 


Signals and Abbreviations 

i—W ait a minute (now obsolete). 

Min—Wait a minute (now standard). 

4— Where shall I go ahead? 

5— Have you any message for me? 

7— I have a message for you. 

8— Wait, I am busy. 

9— Give way. I have a wire message. 

13—Understand—example—(Do you 13? I 

13)- 

25—Busy on another wire (used in RR serv¬ 
ice). 

30—Good-day, or good-night on press report 
service. 

92—Deliver. 

73—My compliments to you. 

X—(after the check) Get a reply to this mes¬ 
sage. 

RP 10—Reply for 10 words prepaid. 

Ga—Go ahead. ■ 

Bk—Break. 

Ahr or hr—Here is another message. 

Ck—Check. 

Fm—From. 

DH—Dead Head. 


27 



28 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


Si g.—Signature. 

No—Number. 

N M—No more. 

D P R—Day Press rate. 

N P R—Night Press rate. 

Nite—Night message (replaces obsolete 

“ Red ”). 

NL—Nite letter. 

XXXXXXX—Omission. 


The letter X, it will be seen, is used in several 
capacities. When placed in the check it signifies 
that an answer to the message must be asked for. 
In this instance it is purely an arbitrary ruling 
of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and 
may not be in vogue elsewhere. 

At the foot of a tabulated stock list or other 
schedule, it represents an asterix. Make one 
X for the first, two for the second, three for the 
third, and so on, when required. 

When a number of them are inserted in a row 
between two words, it indicates that something 
is purposely or unavoidably omitted from the 
message or press matter the sending operator has 
before him. 

Although “ i ” and “ 92 ” are practically 
obsolete, having been quite generally superseded 
by “ min ” and “ dir,” respectively, they have 
been included in the above list because they are 
still used at times in some parts of the country. 


SIGNALS 'ANt> ABBREVIATIONS 

No list of abbreviations or signals would cover 
all the rules of the different companies. HenCe 
you should obtain a copy of the official rules of 
the one which employs you and observe them 
faithfully. The list herein given, however, in¬ 
cludes about all that may be required for com¬ 
mercial business. 


CHAPTER IV 


Sporting Events and Market Reports in 
Tabulated Form 

For the purpose of minimizing the number of 
words to be transmitted over a wire and paid 
for, as well as to be able to furnish the editor 
of a newspaper and the typesetter with certain 
kinds of press matter in an easily deciphered 
form, a uniform system or order of arrangement 
in the way of tablets, has been adopted for each 
of the principal sporting events and markets of 
the day. 

Specimen copies of each are shown on the fol¬ 
lowing pages. 

You should study these forms carefully and 
memorize the order of arrangement, for the rea¬ 
son that when you are called upon to copy such 
reports, the sending operator will expect you to 
place each name and figure in its proper column 
under a certain heading. 

In sending baseball reports the operator does 
not always send the headings, as an up-to-date 
receiver is expected to know the order of ar¬ 
rangement. In any event he would transmit 
such heading but once, hence the necessity of a 
particular form to prevent repetition. 

30 


SPORTING EVENTS AND MARKET REPORTS 3 1 

When sending the complete innings of a base¬ 
ball score, such as shown in the following regular 
form: 

Chicago. 0000 1 000 o—i 

New York.oi iooooo 2—4 

it has been conclusively demonstrated that the 
letter o used instead of a dash to represent the 
cipher, is much more satisfactory in every way, 
for the reason that as the innings are usually 
sent in groups of three numerals each, with a 
slight pause between each such group, three o’s 
can be made much quicker than three dashes. 
The dashes made at the same rate of speed would 
make the figure 5, and thus tend to confuse the 
receiver. Hence for all ball scores by innings 
make the letter o instead of a dash for each 
cipher. 

The other tables show the usual order for send¬ 
ing and receiving market quotations, and various 
sporting events. 

The tablets are not strictly uniform for all 
market reports, because some newspapers quote 
prices under dififerent headings, but as a rule 
several papers combine and use identical head¬ 
ings. 

Aside from this slight discrepancy the market 
report formulas are practically the same. 

Study the dififerent forms for each class dili¬ 
gently and practice sending and receiving them 
until their order of arrangement is thoroughly 
familiar to you, 




32 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


BASE BALL 
Highlanders 


r 

Cree, If. 0 

Elberfeld, ss. 0 

Chase, lb. 0 

Engle, cf. 1 

Demmitt, rf. 0 

Knight, 2b. 0 

Austin, 3b. 0 

Sweeney, c. 0 

Manning, p. 0 

♦Hemphill .0 

Laporte, 2b.... 1 

Quinn, p. 0 


h po a 
0 4 0 
2 13 
2 9 0 
0 10 
14 0 
13 1 
0 12 
17 3 
0 0 1 
0 0 0 
10 1 
0 0 0 


e 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

0 

0 


Totals ... 2 8 30 11 2 


♦Batted for Knight in the seventh inn¬ 
s' 

fBatted for Smith in the ninth inning. 
JTwo out when the winning run scored. 


Highlanders .0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1—2 

Washington .0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0—1 


First base on errors—Highlanders, 1. 
Left on bases—Highlanders, 5; Washing¬ 
ton, 7. Two-base hits—Unglaub, Chase. 
Three-base hits—Knight, Lelivelt, Un¬ 
glaub. Sacrifice hits—Delehanty, Austin, 
McBride. Stolen bases—Unglaub, Mc¬ 
Bride, Hemphill. Double plays—Knight, 
Elberfeld and Chase. Bases on balls—Off 
Manning, 2; off Smith, 3; off Hughes, 1. 
Struck out—By Manning, 3; by Smith,2; 
by Quinn, 2; by Hughes, 2. Hits—Off 
Manning, 7 in 7 innings; off Smith, 5 in 8 
innings. Time— 2.10. Umpires—Sheri¬ 
dan and Kerin. Attendance—3,940. 


CHESS 



White 

Black 

1 

P—K4 

P—QB4 

2 

Kt—KBS 

Kt—QB3 

3 

P—Q4 

PxP 

4 

KtxP 

Kt—B3 

5 

Kt—QB3 

P—KKt3 

6 

B—QB4 

P—Q3 

7 

KtxKt 

PxKt 

8 

P—K5 

Kt—Kt5 

9 

P—K 6 

P—KB 4 

10 

Castles 

B—KKt2 

11 

B—B4 

Q—Kt3 

12 

B—QKt3 

B—QR3 

13 

Kt—R4 

Q—Q5 


















SPORTING EVENTS AND MARKET REPORTS 33 


C H ESS— (Continued) 


14 

White 

Black 

QxQ 

BxQ 

15 

P—QB4 

Castles 

16 

QR—Q 

B—R3 

17 

KR-K 

P—Kt4 

18 

BxQP 

PxB 

19 

RxP 

B—K4 

20 

P—B5 

KR—K 

21 

P—Kt3 

B—B3 

22 

RxP 

B—QKt2 

23 

R—B7 

B—K5 

24 

Kt—B3 

BxKt 

25 

PxB 

Kt—K4 

26 

R—Q 

Kt—B6 ch 

27 

K—B 

KtxP ch 

28 

K—K 

Kt—B6 ch 

29 

K—K2 

Kt—K4 

30 

KR—Q7 

P—B5 

31 

R—Kt7 ch 

K—R 

32 

RxKtP 

B—Q6 ch 

33 

K—Q 

PxP 

34 

PxP 

Kt—Kt3 

35 

R—Q5 

B—K5 

36 

R—Q6 

B—B4 

37 

B—Q5 

QR—Kt 

38 

P—B6 

Kt—B 

39 

R—QKt7 

QR—B 

40 

P—K7 

Kt—Kt3 

41 

B—B7 

RxKP 

42 

BxKt 

B—Kt5 ch 

43 

K—B 

R—K8 ch 

44 

K—Kt2 

PxB 

45 

RxKtP 

B—B4 

46 

R—B6 

B—K5 

47 

RxP 

R—Kt8 ch 

48 

K—R3 

BxP 


White draws the game by perpetual 
check. 

STOCK TRANSACTIONS TO-DAY 

The following table shows the opening, 
highest, lowest, and 12.00 o’clock prices 
of all stocks traded in on the Stock Ex¬ 
change to-day: 




Open. High, 

. Low. 

12 '. 00 

Allis-Chalm . 

.. lli 

lli 

lli 

lli 

Amal Copper .... 

.. 742 

75i 

731 

742 

Am 

Ag Chem.... 

.. 42 

42 

42 

42 

Am 

Beet Sugar.. 

.. 362 

371 

362 

37 

Am 

Can pf. 

.. 762 

762 

762 

762 

Am 

Car & F. 

.. 592 

592 

592 

592 

Am 

Cot Oil. 

. . 592 

592 

592 

592 

Am H & L p. 

.. 36 

36 

36 

36 

Am 

Boco . 

. . 48 

48 

471 

48 

Am 

Malt . 

.. 64 

61 

61 

61 

Am 

Smelting .... 

. . 801 

812 

801 

80i 

Am 

Smelt pf. 

. .106 

106 

106 

106 

Am 

Sm Ses pf B. 

.. 88 

88 

, 88 

88 

Am 

Steel F. 

.. 571 

571 

571 

571 

Am 

Sugar pf;.... 

. .1212 

1212 

121 | 

121 f 















34 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


STOCK TRANSACTIONS— (Continued) 


Am Tel and Tel.. 

..137 

137 

137 

137 

Am Woolen . 

.. 35 

35 

35 

35 

Am Woolen pf... 

..100$ 

100$ 

100$ 

100$ 

Anaconda . 

.. 49 

49$ 

49 

49$ 

Atchison . 

..113} 

114} 

113} 

114$ 

Atchison pf. 

..103} 

103} 

103} 

103} 

Balt & Ohio. 

..110$ 

110} 

110$ 

110} 

Bk Rap Tr. 

.. 71$ 

71$ 

71 

71} 

Canadian Pac.... 

..180$ 

182} 

180$ 

182 

Central Leath.... 

.. 39 

39 

38$ 

38 


FOREIGN BONDS 

Reported by Jones, Robinson & Co., 
10 Wall Street, New York. 

Bid. Ask. 

German government 3$s. 93$ 94$ 

German government 3s. 84} 85} 

Prussian consols 4s.101} 102} 

Bavarian government 4s.101} 102} 

Hessian government 3$s. 92$ 93$ 

Saxony government 3s. 84$ 85$ 

Hamburg government 3s. 84 85 

PRODUCE EXCHANGE QUOTATIONS 


Wheat 

Open. High. Low. Noon. Fri. 


May.. ....1,18$ 1.19$ 1.18$ 1.19$ 1.18$ 

July .1.10} 1.10$ 1.10} 1.10$ 1.09} 

Corn 

May . — — —76$ 76$ 

July . — — — 75$ 75} 

Sept . — — — — 75} 

Oats 

May . — — — 52} 52} 


CHICAGO QUOTATIONS 

(Reported by Brown, Jones & Co., 76 
Broadway, New York City.) 

Wheat 

Open. High. Low. Noon. Fri. 


May .1.11$ 1.11} 1.11 1.11} 1.11 

July .1.02$ 1.02} 1.02$ 1.02$ 1.01$ 

Sept . 97} 98 97$ 97$ 97} 

Corn 

May . 67 67} 66$ 67 66$ 

July .. 66$ 67} 66$ 67$ 66$ 


> e P l . 66$ 67} 66} 66$ 66} 




























SPORTING EVENTS AND MARKET REPORTS 35 


PRODUCE EXCHANGE QUOTATIONS 

(Continued) 


Oats 


May 

. 47 


465 

47 

46£ 

July 

. m 

44 

43| 

43£ 

43 § 

Sept 


— 

— 

— 

40J 



Lard 




May , 

.12.65 

12.72 

12.55 

12.55 

12.40 

July 

.12.62 

12.62 

12.45 

12.50 

12.35 



Ribs 




May . 

.12.35 

12.35 

12.25 

12.30 

12.07 

July 

.12.30 

12.32 

12.15 

12.25 

12.02 



Pork 




May . 

..23.55 

23.65 

23.10 

23.40 

22.80 

July . 

.23.45 

23.45 

23.10 

23.17 

22.60 


COTTON 

QUOTATIONS. 



Open. 

, High. Low. 

11.30. 

Fri. 

Feb .. 

. . 

-- 

— 

14.88 

14.88 

March 

_14.97 

14.98 

14.88 

14.90 

14.90 

April 

. — 

— 

— 

14.89 

14.89 

May . 

.15.05 

15.06 

14.95 

14.99 

14.99 

June . 

. — 

—. 

— 

14.84 

14.84 

July . 

.14.88 

14.88 

14.79 

14.82 

14.82 

Aug .. 


14.29 

14.19 

14.25 

14.25 

Sept . 

.13.40 

13.40 

13.40 

13.36 

13.36 

Oct .. 

.12.94 

12.94 

12.86 

12.90 

12.90 

Nov .. 

. — 

— 

— 

12.73 

12.73 

Dec .. 


— 

— 

12.73 

12.73 


Jacksonville Entries. 


HORSE RACING 


First Race—Purse; maidens; three- 
year-olds; five and one-half furlongs. 
Starboard .1071Jack Hale .107 


Marie Hyde.107 

Herdsman .109 

Martin May.109 

Capt. Crawford. .109 
Universe .112 


Kathryne Van.... 107 

Allanfearn .109 

Tom O’Donnell.. .109 

Oghawawa .112 

Deerook .112 


Second Race—Selling; four-year-olds 
and upward; seven furlongs. 

♦Schleswig .98 

♦Harold Junior..101 

Sandpiper .101 

Red Doe.104 

Miss Herbert.104 

The Macintosh.. 106 

Night Mist.107 

Tivolinj ,,,,,,,, ,109. 


fMozart . 

.. 99 

Low Heart. 

..101 

Esther . 

. .102 

Critic . 

..104 

Endymion ..... 

..104 

3kyo . 

.109 

Roseburg II,,,, 

..109 










































3 ^ 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


HORSE RACING—(Continued) 

Third Race—Purse; three-year-olds; 
five and one-half furlongs. 

Magdalen .1011 Voltaire .103 

Billiard Ball.106|Alfred the Great. 109 

My Henry.109|King of Yolo.112 

Fourth Race—Purse; four-year-olds 
and upward; six furlongs. 

Royal Captive.. ..104|Strike Out..,.106 

Rio Grande.109|Judge Cabiniss_109 

Howard Shean.. .112jrurncoat .106 

Hasty Agnes.107|3eymour Beutler.,109 

Dr. Barkley.109|Magazine . .i .112 

Fifth Race—Selling; three-year-olds 
and upward; six furlongs. 

Miss Sly. 93|Arionette . 99 

Dolly Eultman.. .102|Ragman .104 

De Kalb.105|Camel .108 

Geo. W. Lebolt.. .110|Otilo .112 

Clem Beachey... 95|Horace E.101 

♦La Salle.103|Lord Nelson.104 

Ceremonious _106|E. T. Shipp.109 

Waponoca.Ill | 

Sixth Race—Selling; three-year-olds 
and upward; one mile and one-sixteenth. 

Admonitor .101|Killicrankie .103 

Gramsar .103|Belleview .105 

Woolstone .106|E1 Dorado.108 

Joe Rose.108|Oberton .109 

Descomnets .110| 
































CHAPTER V 


The Student’s Outfit and Practice Circuit 

The outfit and different ways of arranging a 
practice circuit are clearly shown in the follow¬ 
ing illustrations. 

The outfit consists of one sounder, one key, 
one or two cells of battery, and a sufficient length 
of wire to connect them together. 

The home circuit is usually set up as shown 
in Figs. 4 and 5 . Fig. 4 shows an outfit with 
sounder and key combined on one base and per¬ 
manently connected together in series by the 
manufacturer. 

The circuit shown in Fig. 5 shows the two 
instruments separate. 

Metallic Circuit. A circuit arranged in this 
manner is called a “ Metallic ” circuit, because 
it is all metal, no part of the wire or battery be¬ 
ing connected with the “ ground ” or “ earth.” 
This term is used to distinguish such circuits 
like Figs. 4 and 5 from those which are called 
“ grounded ” circuits such as Figs. 6 and 7 . 

The circuit shown in Fig. 6 is a grounded 
37 




















































































































THE STUDENT’S OUTFIT AND PRACTICE CIRCUIT 39 

circuit for two stations, each station has the 
instruments on one base and a three-point switch. 

The circuit shown in Fig. 7 has the instru¬ 
ments separate. 

Grounded Circuits. In grounded circuits, but 
one wire is required between two separate locali¬ 
ties, for the reason that the earth acts in the 
capacity of a return wire. So that all that is 
necessary when two students desire to connect 
their respective homes together and practice with 
one another from a short distance, is to string 
one wire between their houses and each connect 
their own outfit in the manner shown in Figs. 
6 or 7 . 

In order to provide a means of cutting off the 
battery, a three-point switch is required at each 
end of the line as shown in the diagrams. This 
switch will prevent a continual waste of current 
when you are not practicing, and at the same 
time enable you to call up your companion when¬ 
ever you wish to practice. 

Line Closed. It will be seen that when both 
levers are turned to the right hand disk as they 
should always be when you are not practicing, 
the line containing both sounders and keys re¬ 
mains closed, being grounded at each terminal. 
But the sounders stand open because the battery 
being cut off and left open, cannot cause any cur¬ 
rent to flow through their coils. 


it 


o 

z 



o 


o 

















































































THE STUDENT’S OUTFIT AND PRACTICE CIRCUIT 41 

To Practice. When either you or your com¬ 
panion wishes to practice either alone or with 
one another, you simply turn the lever of your 
own switch to the left. This operation removes 
the ground connection at your end and sub¬ 
stitutes your own battery therefor. 

The current then flows through your instru¬ 
ment, the line wire, and thence through your 
companion’s sounder, and disappears into the 
ground at his end of the line. Your companion 
must not turn his switch lever, as there is no 
necessity of using both batteries. 

Sufficient Battery Power. Each student 
should have sufficient battery to operate the line 
and take turns in furnishing the current, so as to 
make both batteries last longer. The point to 
remember is that when one of you turn the 
switch to the battery the other should turn his 
to the ground disc. 

Of course this method requires just twice as 
much battery for the outfit as would suffice by 
cutting both batteries in at the same time, but as 
you would be using both batteries all the time 
instead of half the battery, there is no economy 
in that arrangement. 

On the other hand, if your souhder is adjusted 
to the strenght of the current of both batteries 
combined would furnish, it is obvious that if one 
of you simply cut in your own battery for the 
purpose of practicing or calling up your partner, 


42 ‘TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 

the current would only be half its usual strength 
until the other battery was also cut in. For this 
reason your partner’s instrument might not re¬ 
spond properly and he might not hear you call 
him. Your own sounder would also be some¬ 
what out of adjustment. So the better plan is 
to follow the suggestions made. 

Batteries. The cheapest, best, and most con¬ 
venient type of battery for practice circuits, is 
undoubtedly that which is called the “ dry ” bat¬ 
tery. Fig. 8. 



Fig. 8. 


It is nearly twice as strong as the gravity 
(Fig. 9) or bluestone cell, and much cheaper in 
every respect. Furthermore it occupies less 
space, requires no attention, and cannot' spill its 
contents on the carpet or in any manner injure 
its surroundings. 






















THE STUDENT’S OUTFIT AND PRACTICE CIRCUIT 43 

For a practice circuit not over three or four 
blocks in length, 6 dry cells of battery should be 
sufficient, the same number being installed at 
each end of the line. 



Dry batteries if overworked or allowed to re¬ 
main closed too long, soon polarize and become 
apparently exhausted, hence great care should 
be taken to cut them off when not actually in use. 
In case the battery should accidentally become 
thus weakened, it will soon recover if you cut 
it off and allow it to remain idle a few hours. 

In connecting the cells together, they must be 
joined as shown in Fig. io, the carbon of one cell 
to the small brass binding post of the next Cell, 
and §o on to the last. The two posts are easily 























44 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


distinguished, as one is in the center, while the 
other is merely a small binding post connected 
to the outer rim of the battery. 



Fig. io. 

For line wire you should use insulated or rub¬ 
ber covered copper conductors. The larger the 



A Fig. ii. 

gauge the less battery you will require. For 
short distances it need not be very large, but to 


















































THE STUDENT'S OUTFIT AND PRACTICE CIRCUIT 45 

prevent breaking down during wind and sleet 
storm, the larger you can afford the less trouble 
you will have. 

Stringing the Wire. Select suitable resting 
places not too far apart on buildings, poles or 



B Fig. 11. 


trees and securely nail in each place a wooden 
bracket A, Fig. n, upon which screw a glass 
insulator B, Fig. n. Make one end of wire fast 



C Fig. 11. 


and pay out the wire until the first insulator is 













4 6 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


reached. Secure wire to glass insulator with a 
piece of wire as shown in C, Fig. n, continue 
until the oth.er station is reached. The wire 
should be kept as taut as possible during this 
operation to prevent sagging which can best be 
done with the help of an assistant. Where the 
wire enters the house, a piece of insulating tube 
should be used. Never under any circum- 


COPPER WIRE 
AROUND GAS PIPE 



Fig. 12. 


stances allow the wire to rest against anything 
but the insulator as in such places it is liable 
to form a ground. 

Ground Wire. “ For a ground,” or earth con¬ 
nection for one pole of your battery, solder your 
wire to an iron water or gas pipe. The water 
pipe makes the best connection. 























THE STUDENT^ OUTFIT AND PRACTICE CIRCUIT 4 ? 

The following is a good method to pursue: 
Scrape about two inches of the iron pipe, clean 
and bright; scrape about four inches of the in¬ 
sulation from the end of the wire making the 
copper bright, wrap a small strip of tinfoil tightly 
around the pipe where scraped, then bind the 
bared copper wire tightly around the tinfoil and 
solder the connection firmly. Cover the joint 
well with insulating tape and you have a ground 
that will last for years. See Fig. 12. 


CHAPTER VI 


How To Adjust A Sounder 

First, always remember that the nearer the 
armature A, shown in Fig. 13, approaches the 
polepieces of the magnets MM, without actually 
touching the stronger it will be attracted. In 
order to make a close adjustment, the movable 
parts of the sounder is supplied with various 
screw posts and holding nuts, the object of the 
latter being to hold any adjustment made per¬ 
manent. The operation is as follows: 

Place a thin sheet of paper between the ar¬ 
mature A, and the polepieces of magnets MM, 
and loosen the screws C and D until when you 
press down the armature it rests firmly on the 
paper and holds it so tight you cannot remove 
it without tearing. Then while still pressing 
on the armature with one hand, turn the screw- 
post C to the right until it raises the lever and 
armature just sufficiently -to allow the paper 
to be pulled out. Next, hold post C just as it 
is and screw the nut D down hard so that post C 
cannot work loose. The next step is to give the 
lever bar B enough play between its contact 
points to give out a proper sound. This is ac¬ 
complished by adjusting post F for distance and 
G for holding it fast. 

In order to get a proper tention for the “ back 
48 




































































































































































































































































50 TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 

stroke,” or sound made by the lever striking its 
upper contact point adjust the upper post H and 
nut K. 

Adjustment of Key. Follow the same rule as 
regards the holding nuts B, D and H, Fig. 14. 

The principal things to observe is that the 
trunions must not bind nor yet be too loose to 
wobble. The lever should have an up and down 
movement only, and as little air gap between the 
contact points as possible without causing it to 
spark or stick. 

When a key sticks file the points gently, Never 
place a sheet of paper between the contact points 
as that will make matters worse. The operation 
is as follows: Turn the post screw A, which 
holds the shaft attached to the movable lever, to 
the right until it holds the shaft firmly without 
binding. Then turn the holding screw B to the 
right as far as it will go. Next, regulate the play 
of the lever to suit your fancy by means of the 
screws C and D in the same manner. 

The proper spring or tension is then given the 
lever by means of screw post E which must be 
lowered or raised as required, after which it 
should be secured firmly by lowering the holding 
nut H. 

In Fig. 15, is shown the practice key and 
sounder connected together on one base. 

Sounders. Practice sounders and those used 


































































































































































































































































































































52 'TELEGRAPHY for beginners 

in connection with main line relays are wound 
with comparatively coarse wire and have fewer 
convolutions in the coils, but they constitute a 
much stronger magnet than a relay does, be- 



Fig. 15- 


cause the comparatively few turns of wire carry 
a total volume of current or magnetizing energy 
much greater than that flowing through relay 
coils. 

The resistance of sounders is usually 4 ohms 
although for special work they are wound to 
forty or fifty ohms. 

Connections for main line and sounder. The 

diagram, Fig. 16, gives the theoretical connec¬ 
tions of main line relay and sounder. Fig. 17 
shows the actual connections of main line relay 
and sounder. 































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56 


TELEGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS 


Main Line Box Relay. A box relay, so called 
because of its box like resemblance is shown in 
Fig. 18. 

The coils are wound with fine wire in the same 
manner and degree as the ordinary relay. Its pur¬ 
pose is to avoid using an extra sounder and local 
battery to receive from. 

With a boxed relay the operator reads the sig¬ 
nals made by the lever striking the contact points 
attached to the resonant wood. 

Single Line Relay Sounder. A single line re¬ 
lay is an instrument possessing a magnet coil 
consisting of approximately 8,000 convolutions 



Fig. 19. 


of very small insulated wire, measuring 150 
ohms. 

On long circuits where it is usually employed 











HOW TO ADJUST A SOUNDER 57 

the current flowing is comparatively weak and 
as each convolution tends to strengthen the mag¬ 
net a great number are thus required to energize 
it sufficiently to operate the armature and lever. 

The contact points of the relay act as a key for 
the local circuit containing the sounder the 
operator reads from. See Fig. 19. 

The Continental Code is given on the following 
page. After the Student has mastered this book 
we would suggest he get a copy of Mr. Jones’s 
Pocket Edition of Diagrams, price $1.50; and Phil¬ 
lips’ Code, price $1.00. 


CONTINENTAL CODE 

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